By: Faarzana, Salmie, Amirul Aiman & Zul Khairi
A harmony and progressive country like Malaysia sealed an untold story
behind it. A city light at night become the only beam that witness loneliness
and emptiness of homeless children especially in Kuala Lumpur and others city
in Malaysia. The developing of the country had neglected this minority from
having the same benefits like other citizens.
Most of the homeless children are
being abandon from both their parents who working late night and this will lead
them to be engaged with social security problem like sexual abuse, human
trafficking and others crimes. There is also homeless children who are refugees
such as Rohingya and also illegal child who their mother a sex workers that
make their home as place for that unhealthy activity. Does this untold realities
are irritating? This unlucky minority had gone through a hard time to keep
their survival.
The numbers of homeless children or street kids is increasingly and
worrying as this will lead to other unhealthy social problems. As said by
UNICEF, in Malaysia, children living on the streets include undocumented
children, stateless children and children of migrants. Some children may have
run away from home, often in response to psychological, physical or sexual
abuse. Those children without right birth registration will deny their benefits
from having good education and healthcare.
According to an Inter-NGO Program on street children and youth, a street
child is “any girl or boy who has not mature and reach adulthood level, for
whom the street has become his or her usual sojourn and source of livelihood,
and who is deficient protected, directed, and look over by responsible adults.”
IMPACTS ON HOMELESS CHILDREN
The analogy is simple-
What if:
a herd of sheep release naked in sahara among wilderness—among lions and cheetah?
The
cheetah and wilderness represent city and rough black hazardous environment,
while sheep is symbolic to homeless kid or children.
The rough environment will shape and affect the children, while other
kids enjoying pencil and book with guidance from teacher,homeless will enjoy
their day with daydream or loitering around their neighbourhood without proper
education. They will repeat the cycle of their parents life. In 2012 level of
illiterate in Malaysia is 37,504 from 468,808 SPM candidates. (Datuk Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi,2012)
From 468,808 students are taking SPM in 2012, how about homeless? Are
they seat for SPM too?
Children are persona from their elder, parents, brothers and who they
friends with, the other effect of homeless is the margin of crime rapidly
increase day by day. Their father as drug dealer, while sister and mother as
prostitute and friend join the gangster club to try fit in the society. They
are the 'noir' side of Kuala Lumpur-Chow kit. Are you sure they will became “Imam
Muda’ after being raised in this black society—sure they can. But in one fine
day.
ACT AND NGO's INVOLVING HOMELESS CHILDREN
The
Child Act 2001 [Act 611] was enacted in our
country to fulfil its obligation under the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) which is in 1995 and the goals of CRC
are to uphold its commitment to the protection and welfare of her children.
This was a major step for the country.
Act
611’s preamble provides that every child is entitled to protection and
assistance in all circumstances without regard to distinction of any kind, such
as race, colour, sex, language, religion, social origin or physical, mental or
emotional disabilities or any status. In addition, the provisions of Act 611
are based on the four core principles of the CRC that is, non-discrimination,
best interest of the child, the right to life, survival and development and
respect for the views of the child.
Apart
from that, the Act also established the National Council for the Protection of
Children, which advises the Government on child protection issues while the
National Advisory and Consultative Council for Children acts as a national
focal point for children's well-being and development.
Act
611 also requires the setting up of Child Protection Teams and Child Activity
Centres at both state and district levels. For instance, it is aimed at
mobilising community participation in the implementation of preventive and
rehabilitative programmes, these initiatives are targeted
for children at risk or children vulnerable to all forms of abuse and
exploitation.
There are following
non-governmental groups that are working to respect and uphold the rights of
children in our country such as Malaysian Child Resource Institute, Childline
Malaysia, Malaysia Care, National Early Childhood Intervention Council, Protect
and Save the children, Voice of Children, and Yayasan Chow Kit.
In a nutshell, those unlucky homeless children who being neglected apart
from the developing world should have a better place and it is not only one
responsibility as this issue takes more than that to combat these social
problems. Lack of love and attention towards their needs had made them become
vulnerable and a good approach from NGO and leader of community are needed. The NGO in our country especially should
uphold the principles and provisions of the CRC such as the General Principles
of the CRC concerning non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the
right to life and survival and development and the right of the child to
express their views freely.
